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Bonnie Prince Charlie” 


BY 


BARBARA YECHTON 


V ^ *> ^ .* X 

author of “Christine’s inspiration,” “little saint N. 

HILARY,” “INGLESIDE” ' 

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JAMES POTT & COMPANY 

114 Fifth Avknuk 


1893 




Copyright, 1893, by 

JAMES POTT & COMPANY 

/ £ - 4-6 


TROW DIRECTORY 

PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY 
NEW YORK 




<( prince Charlie’s” loving 

GREETING TO LITTLE SWEETHEART 


VERA 



" BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE." 


Grandpa said prince Charlie was a 
veritable Stuart, but the little boy’s 
brown eyes danced with merriment, 
and the soft yellow hair that curled 
up all over his head flew out and 
stood on end as I am sure the 
solemn looking martyr-king’s never 
did. The old gentleman declared 
that his handsome, sweet-tempered 
little grandson was “the image’’ of 
a picture of their royal ancestor which 
hung in his library in Edinboro, so 
he called him “Baby Charles’’ and 
“ Bonnie prince Charlie,’’ the last 
name pleasing the little boy best of 
all. When his name was asked he 


6 


“ Bonnie Prince Charlie. 


would reply, “ Tarles E’wa’ Stooa — 
p’ince Tarlie,” and chuckle over it, 
as if it were a good joke. In mam- 
ma’s opinion her merry, rosy Ameri- 
can boy was nicer than any prince 
royal in the world, but she was too 
polite and kindly-natured to say so 
to grandpa, who was a stanch roya- 
list of the old school, and who had 
come all the way from Scotland to 
see his only son’s only son. 

Charlie lived with his mamma and 
papa in a big old-fashioned house, 
on a wide sunny avenue, near two 
parks. 

These parks lay one east and one 
west of the avenue, and to the west 
park, opposite an old brown church, 
went prince Charlie, with his retinue, 
every fine day. This retinue gener- 
ally consisted of nurse, whom the 
little boy called “Nana,” Flitters, a 


“Bonnie Prince Charlie : 


7 


large, shaggy terrier, “ the peeler,” 
a man dollie dressed as a London 
policeman, and Charlie’s wooden 
horse, Winkie, with the flowing mane 
and tail, which grandpa Stuart had 
brought him from Scotland. 

The little boy thoroughly enjoyed 
this part of the day. He danced and 
pranced with delight while his coat 
and hat were being put on, pursing 
up his dear little red mouth until it 
looked like a button, in an attempt to 
whistle. As soon as the elastic of 
his big hat was settled to his satisfac- 
tion and his fat pink fingers put into 
the gloves “ wi’ out no finders ” — he 
was eager to be off. A kiss and hug 
for mamma, and a lusty shout, “ Turn 
on, F’itters, Tarlie’s yeady,” then 
down the steps he went, as fast as he 
could go, one foot at a time, grasp- 
ing each post of the bannister, and 


8 


“Bonnie Prince Charlie. 


disdaining help. There was always 
a pause on the low stoop, to pat the 
stone lions that guarded each side — 
“ Dood lions, say howdo to Winkie ! ” 
Winkie’s wooden nose was rubbed 
against the lions’ stone noses, and 
then, the procession being formed, 
the party proceeded on their walk. 

Prince Charlie was well known in 
the neighborhood ; the fruit-man on 
the corner generally wished him 
“Top o’ the mornin’, prince Chair- 
lie — ” to which the little boy would 
reply, politely, “Top mornin,’ fute- 
man.” A poor sick gentleman in a 
wheeled chair, who took his airing 
about the same time Charlie did, 
often stopped for a short chat with 
the rosy-cheeked, bright-eyed little 
man. He was well acquainted with 
Winkie and the “ peeler,” and al- 
ways inquired after the state of their 


" Bonnie Prince Charlie . 


9 


health ; when too weak for conver- 
sation he would give the little party 
a friendly smile. Charlie called him 
the “poor sit man/’ and regarded the 
wheeled chair as a most wonderful 
affair. Even the big policemen in 
gray waved their hands to prince 
Charlie, while all the boys and girls 
in the park knew and liked him. He 
was so jolly and good-natured, al- 
ways willing to lend Winkie and his 
big rubber ball to whoever might 
want them. 

He played games and ran races, 
winning or losing with equal good 
temper, falling down and picking 
himself up before Nana could get to 
him. Sometimes the hard pavement 
hurt the little fat knees and hands, 
but the tears were always winked 
quickly away, and as soon as he was 
brushed off he was ready to start 


jo “ Bonnie Prince Charlie 

again. His belt would work up, his 
gloves get lost, and his hat askew, 
much to Nana’s annoyance, but the 
rosy cheeks, the dancing eyes and 
yellow hair, as well as the sweet, 
kindly expression of the little face 
made him a figure to be singled out 
from the group of children. Every- 
body loved the little boy and was 
kind to him, and when grandpa 
Stuart came he was so devoted to 
Charlie, so indulgent to him, that 
mamma told papa in confidence she 
was very much afraid their little son 
would be spoiled; but papa only 
laughed and said, “Notwithstand- 
ing the Stuart likeness, prince Charlie 
is too like his mother ever to get 
spoiled by kindness,” at which mam- 
ma blushed and said, “ Now, Colin ! ” 
But prince Charlie had one fault, 
and nothing that was said could en- 


“Bonnie Prince Charlie: 


ii 


tirely break him of it, though Nana 
said he would outgrow it in time — 
what do you think it was ? He would 
hide things away ! Not only his toys, 
but anything else that came in his 
way, from his “ peeler ” to mamma’s 
gold thimble. By constant search 
and careful observation Nana had 
discovered most of his hiding-places, 
and if the little fellow could be made 
to understand what was missing, he 
would willingly lead the way to where 
the lost article lay, and restore it to 
its owner with every sign of good 
fellowship. 

One trouble was that sometimes 
he forgot where he put some of the 
things, and another, equally as bad, 
was that his favorite receptacle for 
stray articles was the little stone bal- 
cony just below one of the second- 
story windows, where they were 


12 


“ Bonnie Prince Charlie . 


liable to be rained or snowed on, or, 
worse still, to be blown away. Once, 
after a bright warm sun had melted 
the snow all off the balcony, mamma’s 
oxidized sealskin shopping reticule, 
papa’s smoking - cap and bootjack, 
several spools of thread, a picture 
book, and a pair of Charlie’s low 
shoes were found on the balcony ! 
Mamma took prince Charlie on her 
lap and spoke very seriously to him. 
The little fellow listened with deep 
attention until she finished, then, cud- 
dling close to her, hugging her tight 
with his fat little arms, he whispered 
“ Tarlie no fing away sings, mamma 
dear, sings fing emsels away,” and 
not all that mamma could say seemed 
to shake this belief. 

Not long after this grandpa Stuart 
was taken ill. He was staying at 
a big white hotel near Washington 


“Bonnie Prince Charlie. 


'3 

Square, though papa and mamma 
had urged him to come to them, and 
as he was too ill to be moved now, 
they went to him every day, and re- 
mained with him as long as possible, 
papa sometimes staying all night. 
During these days prince Charlie 
was left more to his own devices 
than was usual, or was at all good 
for him, as Nana had to look after 
the housekeeping while her mistress 
was away. 

One morning the boy felt very 
lonely ; with all his manliness he was 
a regular mother - boy, and he did 
so miss mamma’s warm kisses, the 
climbs into her lap, the merry little 
chats, and the loving companionship 
which entered into all his plays, and 
suggested new ones when his child- 
ish devices gave out. Nana had 
been too busy to take him to the 


14 


“ Bonnie Prince Charlie. 


park, or to do more than glance in 
at him every now and then for a 
word, and the unusual confinement 
and loneliness made the child restless 
after a while. He had been very 
content in the nursery all the morn- 
ing ; first he played with Tippie, the 
Maltese kitten, until she got her back 
up and ran away. Then he played 
he was a bear, sallying out with a 
big growl from his cave under the 
table, to eat up the poor “peeler” 
who was stranded on a footstool in 
the middle of the floor, but pretty 
soon this grew monotonous. After 
that he had a game of ball, and an- 
other of ten-pins until he got tired, 
then he turned his high chair over 
on its side, put a big cushion on 
it, harnessed Winkie, and, taking his 
seat on this new kind of carriage, 
waved an impromptu flag over his 


" Bonnie Prince Charlie . 


' 5 

head and drove “ a cock horse to 
Banbury Cross” in fine style. It 
was great fun at first saying “ Dee 
up, Winkie,” pulling the lines, and 
whipping his patient steed with the 
flag, but after a while Winkie would 
fall over, and Charlie got tired of 
setting him up, and there was no 
mamma to suggest a new play. So 
presently the little fellow wandered 
down-stairs into the library in search 
of some new amusement. 

The night before when Mr. Stuart 
came home from the hotel he had 
given his wife a flat folded paper — 
“ Put it away carefully for father,” 
he said ; “ it is his will, and I am 
very much afraid, Kathie dear, that 
he has made prince Charlie his heir, 
to the exclusion of Hector, sister 
Marjie’s boy. I was in hopes I had 
persuaded him to let the little lads 


16 


“Bonnie Prince Charlie . 


share alike without regard to entail, 
and it grieves me that a mere resem- 
blance to an old picture should in- 
fluence him to be unjust. Our boy 
is already well provided for, and I 
know the generous - hearted laddie 
would be the first to regret it were 
he old enough to realize what was 
being done. I have said all that I 
dare to, we can only hope this paper 
will not be needed, and that, as father 
grows stronger, we may succeed in 
inducing him to change his mind.” 

Mamma sighed as she took the 
parcel. She sat in the library resting 
for a few moments before going up- 
stairs. Her thoughts were far away, 
and not heeding what she was doing 
her nervous fingers undid a small 
flat parcel wrapped in bright-colored 
paper which also lay in her lap. A 
few minutes after, in the same absent- 


" Bonnie Prince Charlie ." 


7 7 

minded fashion, she did up grandpa 
Stuart’s will in the blue and red 
Japanese paper and laid it on the 
library table, while she took the other 
package to her room and locked it 
carefully away. 

This gay-looking parcel was what 
now caught Charlie’s eyes. “ Pitty 
sing,” he said to himself, admiring- 
ly. He pulled a chair to the ta- 
ble, climbed on it, and soon had the 
coveted prize in his hands. Just 
then a noise in the street attracted 
his attention, and he saw that the 
gate leading into the lovely big gar- 
den directly opposite, on the other 
side of the avenue, was open. Ah, 
that changed everything — if there 
was one place prince Charlie longed 
to go it was into that house and that 
garden. 

The owner had been away for over 


i8 


“ Bonnie Prince Charlie 


a year, and Nana as well as Charlie 
had enjoyed the occasional glimpses 
they had obtained from the street, 
of the trees and green grass and 
pretty fountain which lay behind the 
narrow gate and the high brick walls. 

Without waiting for hat or coat 
prince Charlie started off, hugging the 
Japanese parcel closely to him. Along 
the hall he sped to the front door, 
which for a wonder stood ajar, then 
across the street as fast as his little 
round legs could carry him — he was 
so afraid that gate would close before 
he could get inside it. And indeed 
he barely succeeded. “ What do you 
want here ? ” asked the old man who 
closed the gate behind him. He 
knew the little boy, but he wanted 
to hear him speak. 

“ I turn to p’ay in oo darden,” was 
the reply, with an engaging smile, as 


" Bonnie Prince Charlie . 


19 


if sure of a welcome, casting wistful 
glances meanwhile at the unexplored 
regions around him. 

“You have, eh?” said old John, 
eying the straight little figure, the 
winning eyes, and the lovely yellow 
hair blown about by the wind. “You 
go in the house and ask Mr. Ewarts 
if you can play in his garden. If he 
says yes, I'll tote you ’round every- 
where. Go right up those steps and 
knock at the first door you come to. 
Knock hard — don’t be afraid.” Away 
went the little fellow up the stairs 
and along the hall to a big door 
which was a little open. He knocked 
gently once or twice, then pounded 
with both fat open palms, as he was 
in the habit of doing to mamma’s 
door, and when no one answered he 
pushed the door open and entered. 

It was a long, low-ceiled room, with 


20 


“ Bonnie Prince Charlie . 


windows opening down to the floor. 
The furniture was done up in brown 
holland jackets, the chandeliers and 
picture-frames in faded pink mosquito- 
netting ; two windows were open to 
give light. Charlie walked slowly up 
the length of the room, and paused 
with sparkling eyes before a big, 
empty, open fireplace. In front of it, 
half concealing it, were two or three 
very dusty artificial rubber plants in 
big painted tubs. Charlie peeped 
behind them — just the place for a 
bear’s cave, how he wished he had 
brought Winkie and the “ peeler ! ” 
The garden was quite forgotten for 
the time being. Squeezing through 
between the tubs he sat down on the 
rusty fire-irons and made believe he 
was a fierce wild bear watching for 
prey. As the prey did not come im- 
mediately and the irons were not as 


" Bonnie Prince Charlie .” 


21 


“ tom’fy ” as he had expected, he 
made a voyage of discovery round 
his end of the room, secured a sofa 
cushion which looked like a small 
bolster tied with a faded tassel at 
each end, and a soft old footstool and 
retired to his den. Such fun ! He 
lay on the bolster cushion with his 
head on the footstool and gazed in- 
tently at the blue and red tubs. All 
at once they faded out of sight, the 
Japanese parcel slipped to the floor, 
settling itself comfortably on edge 
between a deep crack in the floor of 
the fireplace ; two white lids fell over 
two brown eyes and lo and behold ! 
the little boy was fast asleep in the 
empty fireplace. 

Loud voices roused prince Char- 
lie ; scrambling to his feet he peered 
out between the leaves of the rubber 
plants. Two gentlemen sat in the 


22 


“ Bonnie Prince Charlie .” 


brown holland-covered chairs, talking 
excitedly, at least one was talking, 
the other sat leaning his head on his 
hand. Charlie heard the words “re- 
publican ” — “ democrat ” — and his 
childish intelligence was enlightened. 
He had often heard papa and uncle 
Will talk about what he called “ pub- 
bledinks ” (republicans) and “ demi- 
tacks ” (democrats), and as it ap- 
peared to him that the silent “ gem- 
lemal ” was being scolded, as uncle 
Will sometimes scolded papa, his 
little heart was filled with an impulse 
to offer him sympathy. Pushing 
through the plants he walked up to 
the silent figure and pulled its sleeve. 
" Is oo a pubbledink ? ” he asked, 
with an inquiring nod, opening his 
eyes very wide. “ Tause my papa’s 
a pubbledink an’ he won’t let Aim 
stole you.” 


" Bonnie Prince Charlie .” 


23 

“ Good gracious ! ” cried the 
startled stranger, “ where on earth 
did the child come from ? ” 

Prince Charlie was certainly a 
queer-looking object. The yellow 
of his curls was smutched by patches 
of soot from the top of the fireplace, 
his face was streaked with soot and 
dust, and his hands and dress and 
bare legs were also liberally decor- 
ated, but the big brown eyes were 
full of honest, kindly light, the sweet 
flushed cheeks and little red mouth 
were irresistible. “ Why, I do be- 
lieve it's Stuart's little boy ! ” cried 
the other gentleman. “How ever did 
he get here ? ” 

Then, in his lisping baby - talk, 
prince Charlie tried to tell his story. 
It was not clearly understood, only 
mamma could make out her boy’s 
gibberish. He was picked up very 


24 


“Bonnie Prince Charlie 


unceremoniously and carried home, 
arriving there just as papa and mam- 
ma did, much to their astonishment, 
you may depend, and to Nanas re- 
lief, for she had been rushing about 
the house and neighborhood looking 
for him. 

Papa talked with his unexpected 
visitors, one of whom was old Mr. 
Ewarts, home for a short time, while 
mamma took the little boy up-stairs 
and bathed and dressed, and kissed 
and cuddled him to her heart’s con- 
tent. Meanwhile grandpa Stuart’s 
will lay between the cracks in the 
empty fireplace in Mr. Ewarts’s 
house ! 

Not very long after this grandpa 
Stuart was moved to his son’s house, 
and began to get better. Charlie 
and Charlie’s mamma were both very 
good to him ; grandpa said once, “ it 


" Bonnie Prince Charlie .” 


25 


was hard to say which he loved best,” 
so, taking heart of grace one day 
when he was able to move about, 
mamma spoke about the will and 
asked grandpa to destroy it and to 
make another, including Hector. At 
first the old gentleman was very 
angry, but when he looked at mam- 
mas sweet face, flushed with her 
eager pleading for an unknown rela- 
tive’s child at her own child’s ex- 
pense, he relented. It suddenly 
crossed his mind whether it were not 
a better thing to be related to this 
gracious Christian woman than to 
be descended from king Charles the 
Second — which was a very extraor- 
dinary thought for such a stanch roy- 
alist. 

“ I will let prince Charlie decide 
what is to be done about it,” he said, 
with a sudden impulse ; grandpa was 


26 


“Bonnie Prince Charlie .” 


not given to impulses, and this one 
was rather a surprise to himself. 
“ Bring me the will, and call the 
laddie.” 

Mamma hastened to get the docu- 
ment from its safe place in her cabi- 
net; on her way down-stairs with it 
and Charlie she met papa and eagerly 
told him what had happened, so he, 
too, went into the guest-room where 
his father lay on the lounge. 

The parcel was done up in white 
paper — grandpa opened it slowly, and 
what do you think lay before his 
astonished eyes ? A long, narrow 
Japanese writing-pad, tipped with 
silver ! You may be sure there were 
more than one astonished person in 
the party. Grandpa looked severely 
at his son, who looked wonderingly 
at mamma, and she burst out crying ! 
After a great effort she remembered 


“Bonnie Prince Charlie, 


27 


having the two parcels by her the 
night the will was brought home. 
Every possible and impossible place 
was searched, every one questioned, 
but with no result until someone sug- 
gested asking Charlie about it. 

Mamma carefully explained the 
circumstances to him, and when she 
wrapped the writing-pad in a piece 
of Japanese paper and showed it 
to him, the little fellow clapped his 
hands, crying — “ I dot it, mamma, 
dear, Tarlie tan fine it.” He started 
down-stairs, mamma, papa, and even 
feeble grandpa after him. Obedient 
to his motion papa opened the front 
door, and across the street they all 
went, “like a flock of geese,” papa 
said, half laughing. 

Old John let them in and Charlie 
led them up-stairs into the long 
room, where Mr. Ewart met them. 


28 


“ Bonnie Prince Charlie.” 


“ I know what you’ve come for, good 
friends,” he said, “but I am afraid 
you are* too late. I burned some old 
papers in the fireplace this after- 
noon, and only just now discovered 
this among the ashes. How it came 
there is more than I can say.” 

He held out the charred remains 
of grandpa Stuart’s will — a few scraps 
of the gay Japanese paper still clung 
to it. Then Charlie repeated the 
story which had so puzzled the two 
men some weeks before, and mamma 
translated it for the assembled com- 
pany. When it was done she looked 
at grandpa with pleading eyes — 
“ You said Charlie should decide 
whether the will should stand or 
not,” she said. “ Don’t you think 
he has decided? Charlie, take this 
paper to grandpa.” 

As Charlie laid the burnt will in 


“Bonnie Prince Charlie 


29 


Mr. Stuart’s hands his grandfather 
asked, “ Shall I keep these pieces, 
or shall I tear them up, prince Char- 
lie?” 

“ Tear ’t up, danpa,” said the little 
fellow instantly, with a nod of his 
head that set his short curls dancing. 

“ Mother’s precious boy ! ” cried 
mamma, catching up her little son 
and almost smothering him with 
kisses. 

“ So be it, laddie,” said grandpa, 
slowly tearing the remains of the 
will into tiny pieces. “ God bless 
you, prince Charlie, and God bless 
your mother. Now, Colin, help me 
home.” 




























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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



0 002 458 366 1 + 


“Gentle=heart” Stories 

SIX STORIES FOR BOYS AND GIRLS 

By BARBARA YECHTON 

the author of " Christine’s Inspiration ” 

Price, ioc. each; in packages of six, assorted, 
price, 50c. 


1. ROLAND “ GENTLE-HEART ” 

2. DOROTHY’S TEMPTATION 

3. BY FORGIVING WIN FORGIVENESS 

4. TEDDY’S EXPERIENCE 

5. HOPE BERESFORD’S LESSON 

6 . “BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE” 

Sent by mail on receipt of price 


JAMES POTT & CO., Publishers 

1 14 Fifth Ave. (Near 17th St.), New York 



